Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Virginia CTE Capacity Building Workshop 3 - November 11

 Facilitated by David Bailey and Brenda Long, featuring Delegates Avoli, Runion, and Simonds.


Thursday, October 29, 2020

Virginia Tech Thinkabit Intern is a National Energy Careers Winner

Our Intern Shaurya Bedi is a National Energy Careers Winner!






The Center for Energy Workforce Development announced its individual and team winners for the Summer STEM Challenge for videos featuring Energy Careers.  Our own Shaurya Bedi was an individual winner.

2020 Summer Intern Challenge Winners Selected
CEWD announced the winners of its 2020 Summer Intern Challenge, a contest that invited students to create brief videos about careers in energy. We were energized by what we saw!

Individual Category

  1. From DTE, Diana Bonna
  2. From Virginia Tech Thinkabit Lab, Shaurya Bedi

Team Category

  1. Eversource Energy Interns: Allison Stanton, Cory Vandergrift, Chris Nguyen, Daniel Santos, Jenny Petipas, Lian Nicholson, and Raj Desai
  2. Central Hudson Interns: Ben Yager, Bridget Hart, John Farina, Kiana Carber, Matthew Araujo, Robert Powers


  

A new STEM Innovation Challenge will debut in January, allowing energy companies and their education partners to put participation plans together over the new several months. Learn more here.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Foundations of STEM Education - Dyslexic Edge Conference October 12-17, 2020

Please register for the Dyslexic Edge conference this week.  https://www.thedyslexicedge.org/ 

This recorded presentation provides a brief overview of STEM education, emphasizing strategies and opportunities for dyslexic students and other twice-exceptional learners.



Thursday, October 8, 2020

Searching for Relevant Research - Starting with Google

 This video was created for Prince George's County high school seniors research their academic, career or personal interests in science and engineering.






Thursday, October 1, 2020

Make Your Own Pandemics Mobile App

The strategies shared in this video will help you make a mobile app for aggregating just about any online data you wish to share (Pandemics tracking, Sports or Weather or News tracking, or access to online schedules, notebooks, timesheets, etc.).

Go to MIT's free App Inventor setup instructions at https://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ai2/setup 

Please use Pause and Rewind as often as necessary to understand each step.


Saturday, September 26, 2020

New Standards for Technology Literacy

ITEEA's new Standards for Technological Literacy were completed last Spring and published during the summer.  They are now available for free download.  

While many states have adopted their own standards for technology integration, others have adopted the updated ISTE standards.


Newly published ITEEA Technological Literacy Standards
  • published this summer (replaced 3rd edition): https://www.iteea.org/stel.aspx
Most recent ISTE Technology Standards 
State Technology Literacy Standards

To find your state version not listed below, do a Google search for "[STATENAME] Technology Literacy Standards".  Please send an email to Thinkabit@vt.edu to add states to this list.


 

Monday, September 14, 2020

Four IOT-focused skills virtual summer camps with Arlington Public Schools students


 

Our DC Metro Area STEM and STEAM Outreach efforts this summer included  four virtual camps coordinated with students from the Arlington Career Center, Arlington Tech, Gunston MS, H-B Woodlawn, Jefferson MS, Kenmore MS, Wakefield HS, and Washington-Liberty HS.  The Virginia Tech Thinkabit Team collaborated with school-based Equity and Excellence Coordinators and STEM and CTE teachers to recruit participants.

All camps had a focus on computer-science, robotics, technical careers and college exploration, and an emphasis on innovation in IOT (the Internet of Things).


A Wearable Tech Camp in mid-July involved the use of Arduino and Micro:Bit microprocessors and programming in Ardunio's C-based IDE, and also the use of Scratch and Microsoft MakeCode, with some participants experimenting with MicroPython.  The products were technology that could be worn, including hand-built pedometers and other motion detection, alters and warning systems, and Bluetooth-connected devices.

A similar Technology for Good Camp at the end of July provided more open-ended explorations of sensors, indicators, and actuators. 

In early August, an Urban Agriculture and Environmental Monitoring Technology Camp emphasized how technology could make agriculture safer and more productive, and how monitoring technologies could be used to protect growing systems and monitor environmental changes.

Finally, in late August to early September, the Virginia Tech team partnered with faculty from Howard University and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro to pilot a Creative Technologies and Digital Storytelling (Digital Media) Camp to make the connections between entertainment and advanced communications and training using the same microelectronics tools.  Participants then used online video editing tools to create short ads or movies depicting their devices.







Thursday, July 30, 2020

STEM Education Partnership with Alexandria City Schools

 from VT.edu/innovationcampus:


Virginia Tech is partnering with Alexandria City Public Schools to enhance science, technology, engineering, and math opportunities for students and create potential pathways to higher education.

Virginia Tech faculty will work with ACPS to strengthen four key areas of K-12 academics that were identified through a year-long consulting process with the university. They are:

  • Enhancing the science curriculum across elementary school years.
  • Providing support and professional learning to staff at the city’s two STEM-focused elementary schools, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology and Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School, to refine their teaching. 
  • Middle school STEM exploration, including alignment of afterschool and summer programs.
  • The continuation of developing pathways from high school to college for low-income, underrepresented and first-generation students.

“This agreement lays the foundation for a partnership that will be a model for K-12/ higher education collaboration in the commonwealth,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said. “It’s an important step that will create

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Bicycle Safety Warning System Senior Project by Mickeyla and Roger

Mickeyla Clark, Roger Richardson from McKinley Tech HS were interns at our Thinkabit Lab last Summer as part of the DC Public Schools On-Ramps to Careers Internship Program.  Here is their bicycle safety prototype.





Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Virtual Summer Camp Registration


Check back frequently- we'll soon be opening registration for several Summer Virtual Camps:

Wearable Technology: Integrating microelectronics with function, self-expression, fashion(?), and certainly creativity. Learn engineering and programming skills, and about careers where creative clothing and accessories change the way people think. This camp is designed for grades 6-9. 
July 13-16, 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 3pm (with mid-day offline flex time)

Technology for Good plus IoT:  Learn engineering and programming skills and about careers in which microelectronics and the Internet of Things (IoT) are used to solve problems and make life better.  This camp is designed for grades 6-9.  July 27-30, 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 3pm (with mid-day offline flex time).

Urban Ag and Environmental Sustainability plus IoT:  This camp is for high school students interested in smarter ways to grow food and to monitor and protect the environment the engineering and programming skills.  You'll learn about how sustainability is becoming a part of all areas of work and academic areas. This camp is designed for grades 9-12.  July 27-30, 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 3pm (mid-day offline flex time).


===============

Academic Year Saturday Camps and Events

We hope to hear soon about how current events will affect our very popular Saturday Camps and Events:

Women's Cyberjutsu Society, Cyberjutsu Girls;  Monthly meetings on 2nd Saturdays with a broad range of experiences with professional women in Cyber security, Computer Science and Engineering skills and creativity.  Girls in grades 5-10.

Boolean Girls: Monthly meetings on 4th Saturdays with programming and engineering experiences for all levels of experience.  Girls in grades 4-8.

NoVa Labs FIRST Robotics: This is a Winter event with fun-level competition co-hosted by NoVa Labs and the Thinkabit Lab.

Northern Virginia Center Maker Festival: Normally held just before Election Day, this event features hands-on STEM activities for all age ranges.

Girls' Technovation Mobile App Design Competition: This event is in May 2021 and serves as the finals for regional Technovation participation in a competitive forum for girls in two divisions - grades 6-8 and 9-12.

Sliding Doors STEM and Dyslexia Center (SD2): SD2 provides highly engaging STEM content throughout the year and hosts annual programs in our Lab for students and educators.



Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Michelle Korenfeld - 5 E's for PBL & Social and Emotional Learning

New lesson planner from Michelle Korenfeld:

Click the button to download and print the free lesson planner. 

With the end of the school year, it is great time to try out new strategies.

Check out our new mini-course inspiring such education

 

Background stalactites image by Hadas Korenfeld (C)

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Beyond the Box - One Year Ago Today

 If you haven't read it yet, please read it.  Don't wait until you have a concern to begin exploring all the options and resources provided by your school district.

Beyond the Box by Paula Lazor, Producer of Education Innovations at WERA 96.7 FM (@lazorcte54)

Mascot Books - www.mascotbooks.com 
or of course, Amazon.com













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Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Projects with Real Products for Real Needs

Head bands for face shields
We have an informal policy of never saying no to a student or teacher idea, unless of course safety is involved.  But sometimes we establish priorities, procedures, and policies that help all of our team members, collaborators and daily visits pursue goals that are consistent with our mission to promote awareness and access to technical career information for our future workforce in an increasingly global, 5G/IoT, data-driven workforce.

Last year we invested in two mid-priced 3D printers ($700-$800) and shared an informal policy of designing and printing things that have real utility.  We reflect on that broadly and only rarely have to steer someone from creating something cute toward something that is instead interesting and functional.
Packaged for NoVA Labs

Our network of career and technical education (CTE) and STEM teachers and other education experts nearly always seem to have similar orientations, and we realize we are teaching the students who will soon be able to enroll in their courses in middle school and high school as they choose among many other tempting elective course options (e.g., Art, Photography, Chorus, Band, Orchestra).  Like those teachers, we also embrace the idea that lab projects can and should result in real products, even better if those products met a real need in the community.

Accordingly, we are active in those local, state and national agencies and organizations that represent those educators and stay in touch regularly.  Many like Rob Dudek, Topher Paterno, Cassidy Nolan, Danielle Meyer, Matt Cupples, and Kris Martini provided ideas and support and were on the

Monday, April 27, 2020

Internship cancelled?

We are very proud of our Thinkabit Lab internship programs and we are working hard to provide remote work experiences that are similar to what we'd otherwise do on site.

We liked this by Sonia Begum on LinkedIn.com today from www.SoniaBegum.com:

Students if you had your internship cancelled this is what you should be doing:

1. Look into volunteer remote opportunities. There's plenty on LinkedIn under the volunteer column. Volunteering can be an excellent way to learn and use it as experience on your resume.

2. Start a side business. Are you good at social media, data analysis or maybe designing a website? Start offering it as a low cost service. My first LinkedIn consults were for $4.95 for a 15min call with me.

3. Work on a summer project. There are a billion projects you can find on the internet. Find one and do it!

4. DO SOMETHING. Anything is better than nothing. You can't change what happened but you can make the best of it.

:

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Thinkabit's first Graduate Assistant now in the spotlight

from www.dac.cs.vt.edu

DAC Student Spotlight: Andreea Sistrunk


When Andreea Sistrunk started taking classes at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2014 she had left her job as a full time teacher in Northern Virginia to devote more time to her two young daughters, ages three and seven.

Andreea Sistrunk, DAC
Ph.D. student in Computer Science
“It was becoming more difficult for me to hold a full time job and be a good mother so I chose to take a break from work,” Sistrunk said. “I used a sort of ‘mom’s night out’ to enroll in a graduate course at Virginia Tech because I really missed learning new things.”

Sistrunk was drawn to computer science. She held a bachelor of science degree in engineering with a minor in childhood education from University Polytechnica in Bucharest, Romania, and was a licensed teacher for K-12 and Advanced Placement classes in mathematics, computer science, and technology.

From that course, she eventually applied to the Computer Science program and earned a master’s degree with a concentration in data analytics in Fall 2019. Currently, Sistrunk is in the Ph.D. program and a student at the Discovery Analytics Center, where her advisor is Naren Ramakrishnan.

Sistrunk has gone back to work full time as a research scientist in a laboratory outside of the

Monday, April 6, 2020

2020 Technovation Competition Cancelled

Among other disappointments, we are unable to host this wonderful event this Spring.  Keep in touch with the Technovation network.


Christina Bujoreanu, Luda Bujoreanu, and Leah Davidson with Jim Egenrieder

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

A message from President Sands


Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Boolean Girls - Full STEM Ahead - Episode 3 - Intro to Python - Turtle

Register Now!


Episode 3: Introduction to Python - Turtle

March 18, 3-4 PM Eastern Time
Ages: 10-18
In this episode we will introduce Python Turtle, a Python library used to introduce kids to Python. It is a fun and easy way to  introducing core python concepts.  With the Python Turtle library, you can draw and create various types of shapes and images.
If you’re a beginner to Python, then this tutorial will help you as you take your first steps into the world of programming with the help of the Python Turtle library!
What you need to participate:
A Boolean Box or a Raspberry Pi or any Windows or Mac computer with python installed.  See guidance for installing Python 3 on Mac or Windows below.
Recommended: A second device with internet access for tuning it to this episode.  Can be a Windows or Mac computer or a tablet.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Boolean Girls Full STEM Ahead Episode 2 - Ghosts and Wizard

Episode 2: Ghosts and Wizard

March 16, 3-4 PM Eastern Time
Ages: 8-13
You are a wizard and you need to catch all the ghosts. Problem is, as soon as you catch one ghost, seconds later the ghost returns.
Learn how to:
– Use Broadcast and Receive
– Use the mouse to maneuver your sprite
– Use random numbers
Challenges
- Make the game your own with a different theme
- Add scoring

Replay the Episode

Free Online Resources When Stuck Inside

Curated by our high school intern Kathryn, these resources can keep you interested and learning when you're stuck inside.

Submit your suggestions to Thinkabit@vt.edu




Academic EarthVARIETY - Links to thousands of free university-level lectures and course materials from over 20 highly regarded universities.
AlisonVARIETY - Free online courses in all subjects.  There is a course called all about the coronavirus.
Boolean Girls  PROGRAMMING -  Register for our free, live instructor-led online series. Kids learn to Code, Build, Invent, and Animate, and each episode is age-appropriately tailored for ages 8 to 18.
Codecademy PROGRAMMING - Learn in‐​demand skills like coding in different programming languages, web development, design, and data science. Free access to basic lessons, with the option to pay for more advanced courses.
CourseraVARIETY - provides a wide range of courses created by various colleges and universities, including many that are free.
DuolingoLANGUAGES - If you or your child are interested in learning a new language, Duolingo offers free online learning tools in 36 languages.
EdxVARIETY - Access to free online courses delivered by a consortium of leading colleges and universities. Learn college‐​level content in computer science, engineering, and robotics, among others. 
Khan AcademyVARIETY - free YouTube instructional videos in a wide range of content areas, including all levels of mathematics, English language arts, science, history, computer science and programming, and SAT preparation. Content is aligned with state curriculum standards, and parents can view and track their children’s progress.  
Local LibrariesVARIETY - explore the many other digital resources your local library likely offers. Many public libraries provide free access to e‑books, streaming films and music, digital magazines, and even language learning resources, such as Mango.
Lyn​da​.com  – VARIETY - available for free through many public libraries, Lyn​da​.com has an array of online learning resources in subject areas ranging from photography to business to web development. Log into your local library for access details.
Marginal Revolution University (MRU) - ECONOMICS – Economics isn’t always taught at the K‑12 level, but the dynamic, self‐​paced introductory economics courses offered for free through MRU are likely to pique your older child’s interest.
Mystery ScienceSCIENCE - Mystery Science has free memberships for up to one year. Video lessons are complemented by hands‐​on experiments and downloadable activities.
No Red InkWRITING - free, online writing and grammar resource helps students of all ages to practice and refine their writing skills. Parents can sign up as a teacher (you can use your home as a school), create a learner profile for your child, and then allow a child to log in to the student account and get practicing.
Open CultureVARIETY - Access 1,500 free, online audio and video courses from recognized universities, and access more than 1,000 free audio books.
Prodigy MathMATH - Free and used by many schools for online math support.  This uses a video game‐​style interface to engage learners. Users create characters and conquer challenges using math aligned with their skill level and grade-level competencies. The paid version offers more math and allows parents and teachers to customize additional features. 
Smithsonian InstitutionVARIETY - An example of what many museums are offering, the Smithsonian Institution’s open access Learning Lab offers free, online resources and activities for learners.  
TED‐​EdVARIETY - a free collection of high‐​quality videos on a variety of topics for learners of all ages, including supplemental materials, discussion questions, and opportunities to probe deeper. Register as an educator and you can help to customize your student’s learning experience, or let your kid explore independently.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Boolean Girls Full STEM Ahead - Episode 1 Pong

The live session broadcast from the Virginia Tech Thinkabit Lab was recorded for playback from

https://booleangirl.org/full-stem-ahead/

Episode 1: Pong

March 11, 3-4 PM Eastern Time
Ages: 8-13
In this episode, we will work together to create a game in Scratch.  We will start by covering the basics, so even a beginner can complete this project.
Build the game Pong and learn how to:
  • Log in to scratch, create code and save your work;
  • Use events to make a Sprite move;
  • Use variables to keep score; and
  • Use conditionals to know when to make something happen.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Drew Elementary Makerspace featured on WERA's Education Innovations



Our collaborators at Drew Elementary, Rachel Landry and Joel Gildea talk about elementary makerspaces with WERA's  Paula Lazor.

Education Innovations, Saturdays 2:30-3pm on www.wera.fm.

See more at https://www.mixcloud.com/EducationInnovations/ or https://twitter.com/lazorcte54

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